Tutuvatu Forum

kulau · Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 38

i was surprised to read the news (below) on Solomon Star that the April 2006 Riot Report is not yet public. Sapos olsem ma wat kaen report na long resource page blong Tutuvatu ia? Olketa MPs no readim yet bat mifala public readim na. Wat kaen report moa olketa tok aboutim ia? Tutuvatu admin iu tumas moa iu getem report ia.

Why’s riot report still secret? PM tells of safety fear

Solomon Star, Wednesday, 06 August 2008 - The report into the April 2006 Honiara riots is being withheld in the interests of public safety, Prime Minister Derek Sikua said Tuesday.
He told Parliament it is also important to ensure the rights of those implicated in the report are not abused. Dr Sikua was responding to a question by Opposition Leader Manasseh Sogovare. He asked why the Commission of Inquiry’s final report has not been released to the public.

Dr Sikua said the report would be released after careful analysis by a committee appointed to examine likely risks if it is made public.

He said that committee had already given Cabinet their advice on;

- Risks associated with the report if released
- Risks that needs to be taken into account and how go about the risks
- The way forward strategies before releasing the report.
- What must not be immediately released in the report.

The Prime Minister said that it is of paramount importance that strategies are put in place before the report is released to the public.

He said: “The Government’s priority is the overall safety of the city. We will asses the committee’s report before tabling it in Parliament”, he said.

The final report was handed over to the Government earlier this year but was never released to the public. The report was produced after months of inquiry by the commission set up by the Sogovare-led government.

By EDNAL PALMER

AK47 · Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Posts: 233

Dr. Sikua's coalition must be disintegrated if the report comes out and implicated them. If the Riot's investigate was too risky, why setting up a commission in the first place?
It is always a public knowledge that the riot was a politically inspired one. According to the testimony of one of the security guards working that day at the IBS, the politicians were supplying these rioters with food and drinks! and he was also asked to participated! This allegation was also corroborated before the RC by to prominent leaders who were attending that IBS camp.
Dr. Sikua must make all effort to, if the report is kept from the public for national security, bring instigators and masterminds of the riot to justice. Even if it means that some of his MPs are implicated in that report.
If Dr. Sikua continues to with-hold this report and a new government releases it to the public, and if evidence that he (Sikua) sealed this report for political expediency and cover-up, hem bae trabol. That is pure "obstruction of justice" in my view.
_________________
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these:
It might have been.
............
John Greenleaf Whittier

pinmiz · Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 75 Location: Honiara

Kulau, I think what the PM is referring to is the final report for the inquiry. The report on Tutuvatu and on the commission’s website is an interim report. I would guess the final report is the more comprehensive one that might contain information that might be seen as sensitive in the interests of public safety. Whilst I agree with this view the government should act swiftly to ensure that the findings of the inquiry and whatever recommendations made by the inquiry be act upon and implemented. Prolonging releasing of the final report might be counter productive to the government.

pinmiz · Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 75 Location: Honiara

The review of the facilitation notice to allow RAMSI to operate in Solomons will be reviewed by the Foreign Relations Committee. Information regarding the inquiry can be obtain from the Parliament website www.parliament.gov.sb and go to foreign relations committee under Committee. I think its time that the views that some of us express in this forum be submitted to the committee. I encourage you all to take this opportunity and voice out you concerns in relation to RAMSI